The Buffalo News Article featuring Monica Miles & The Galactic Tribe

Rod Watson: Black Panther having impact far beyond movie screen or comics

August 16th, 2023

In defining the term “blerd,” the online Slang Dictionary wastes no time in citing a love of comic books and their action figures in explaining the origins of the term for a Black nerd.

Yet in light of the historic miseducation and undereducation of Black youths – both before and during the pandemic – anything that gets more of them to read and to use that as a springboard to deeper conversations has to be welcomed.

The Black Panther comic book figure introduced in 1966 – and popularized by the 2018 hit movie – has become one such Buffalo springboard. Young people and their families drawn to biweekly programs put on by the Galactic Tribe delve into the comic book as a starting point to explore the past, examine the present and to plot a successful future. Members of the tribe describe themselves as “Afrofuturists” who didn’t want to miss the chance presented by the movie.

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